Diet forbidding dairy, sugar is most popular food trend in US, says takeout service

The Paleo diet is the most popular food plan in the U.S., according to Grubhub. Image: IGphotography/Istock.com via AFP Relaxnews

The most popular regime in take-out dining in the United States is the Paleo Diet, a restrictive lifestyle that supposedly mimics the diets of our ancestors when they were hunter-gatherers.

That’s according to a new survey by take-out service Grubhub, which analyzed the volume of its take-out orders to extract conclusions on American diet habits.

Compared to 2015, online and mobile orders of Paleo foods increased 370 percent in 2016 across the U.S., says Grubhub, outpacing the raw diet, juice cleanse, veganism and gluten-free diets which round out the top five eating plans.

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For the uninitiated, the Paleolithic diet, also known as the Caveman or Stone Age Diet, replicates the kinds of foods that would only have been available to Paleolithic humans. That means fruits, vegetables, meats, fish, nuts and seeds are allowed, but dairy, legumes, cereals and sugars are not.

For the survey, analysts looked at a combination of dietary tags and specific eating plans in order data from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2016.

The results were also broken down by city to reveal some interesting trends.

For example, Seattle emerged the most health-conscious and most finicky city in the U.S., with more residents placing special dietary orders for their takeout meal than any other city: Seattleites order 309 percent more foods related to eating plans and diets compared to the rest of the country.

The most popular eating plan in that city? Gluten-free foods.

Elsewhere, you’re more likely to find vegans in cities like Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Chicago, while New Yorkers, Bostonians and residents in San Francisco are more likely to order low-fat meals.

The Paleo diet is particularly popular in Texas, particularly in Dallas, Houston and Austin, where locals favor the caveman’s diet.

Here are the most popular eating plans across the U.S.:

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Paleo: 370 percent increase in orders in 2016 vs. the year prior

Raw: 92 percent increase in orders in 2016 vs. the year prior

Juice cleanse: 89 percent increase in orders in 2016 vs. the year prior

Vegan: 58 percent increase in orders in 2016 vs. the year prior

Gluten-free: 35 percent increase in orders in 2016 vs. the year prior

Low-fat: 21 percent increase in orders in 2016 vs. the year prior

Mediterranean: 7 percent increase in orders in 2016 vs. the year prior

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